AU2015101445A4 - Apparatus for underground environmental monitoring - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract An apparatus for underground environmental monitoring, the apparatus comprising opposing posterior and anterior walls; and opposing superior and inferior walls connecting the opposing posterior and anterior walls, the walls adapted to define a median-lateral orientated measurement chamber. Potrir 113 Superrior Inferior Figure 1

Description

Apparatus for underground environmental monitoring Field of the Invention [1] The present invention relates to remote monitoring, telemetry and the like and in particular, but not necessarily entirely, to apparatus for underground environmental monitoring. [2] The invention has been developed primarily for use underground and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use. Background of the Invention [3] In underground environments, such as those for mining operations, it is important to monitor the underground environment so as to control the underground environment or to take necessary action when the underground environment becomes unsafe. For example, if the underground environment becomes too hot, ventilation systems may be actuated to cool the underground environment. [4] Furthermore, where the quality of the underground environment becomes poor, such as by comprising dust particles exceeding a threshold, auto sprinklers may be activated to remove the dust particles. [5] Furthermore, where dangerous gases are detected, such as asphyxiating gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, or explosive gases such as methane, the underground environment may be evacuated. [6] Traditionally, personnel manually monitor the underground environment, such as by travelling along tunnels taking various readings at various intervals. However, such manual monitoring is time-consuming and furthermore does not allow for the substantial real-time monitoring of the underground environment. [7] Furthermore, conventional sensors are not suited for the underground environment and suffer from several disadvantages, including not being suited for location in an underground environment, prone to mechanical damage, prone to dust or liquid ingress, and not suited for measuring air passing through a tunnel. [8] The present invention seeks to provide apparatus for underground environmental monitoring, which will overcome or substantially ameliorate at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art, or to at least provide an alternative. [9] It is to be understood that, if any prior art information is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the information forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country. 1 Summary of the Disclosure [10] According to one aspect, there is provided apparatus for underground environmental monitoring, the apparatus comprising opposing posterior and anterior walls; and opposing superior and inferior walls connecting the opposing posterior and anterior walls, the walls adapted to define a median-lateral orientated measurement chamber. [11] The posterior and anterior walls may be substantially rectangular [12] The anterior wall may have dimensions less than that of the posterior wall [13] The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a computing device case fastened to the anterior wall. [14] The computing device case may comprise an anteriorly facing display device aperture. [15] The computing device case may comprise an outwardly facing image capture device aperture. [16] The computing device case may comprise an outwardly facing motion sensor device aperture. [17] The computing device case may comprise a data cable aperture. [18] The apparatus may further comprise the computing device located within the computing device case. [19] The apparatus may further comprise at least one sensor, the at least one sensor being located at the anterior wall and posteriorly orientated. [20] The at least one sensor may comprise at least one of a wind sensor, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, gas sensor, motion sensor and particle sensor [21] The at least one sensor may be a modular sensor adapted for user selected removable interfacing. [22] The apparatus may further comprise at least one digital input or output for external triggers or controls. [23] The computing device may be adapted to control the at least one digital input or output in accordance with sensor data. [24] The sensor data may represent a particle measurement. [25] The computing device may be adapted to host a web server. [26] The web server may be adapted to serve a resource comprising sensor data. [27] Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed. 2 Brief Description of the Drawings [28] Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: [29] Figure 1 shows an apparatus for underground environmental monitoring in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; and [30] Figure 2 shows a computing device of the apparatus of Figure 1 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Description of Embodiments [31] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles in accordance with the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the disclosure as illustrated herein, which would normally occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the disclosure. [32] Before the structures, systems and associated methods relating to the monitoring of an underground environment are disclosed and described, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular configurations, process steps, and materials disclosed herein as such configurations, process steps, and materials may vary somewhat. It is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting since the scope of the disclosure will be limited only by the claims and equivalents thereof. [33] In describing and claiming the subject matter of the disclosure, the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below. [34] It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. [35] As used herein, the terms "comprising," "including," "containing," "characterised by," and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. [36] It should be noted in the following description that like or the same reference numerals in different embodiments denote the same or similar features. [37] Turning now to figure 1, there is shown apparatus 100 for environmental monitoring. 3 [38] For orientation purposes, there is shown the anterior side 103, posterior side 104, median side 105, lateral side 106, superior side 101 and inferior side 102. [39] In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus 100 is adapted for underground environmental monitoring. In this preferred embodiment, the apparatus 100 is specifically adapted for the underground environment. Specifically, the apparatus 100 is ruggedised so as to be suited for the underground environment. Furthermore, the apparatus 100 is adapted to define a lateral to median orientated measurement chamber to measure air travelling through underground tunnels. [40] Furthermore, the apparatus 100 comprises power and data connections for the remote monitoring of the sensor data captured by the sensors of the apparatus. [41] Specifically now, and referring to figure 1, the apparatus 100 comprises an opposing posterior 107 and anterior 110 wall. The posterior wall 107 is adapted for fastening to a wall surface, such as a tunnel wall or the like. Generally, the apparatus 100 is adapted for location at a suitable ergonomic height, such as operator head height or the like so as to allow for the operation of the apparatus 100 and the viewing of the sensor data displayed by the computing device (described in further detail below). [42] Furthermore, the apparatus 100 further comprises opposing superior wall 109 and inferior wall 108 connecting the posterior 107 and anterior 110 wall. [43] In this manner, the arrangement of the posterior 107, anterior 110, superior 109 and inferior 108 walls define a median-lateral orientated measurement chamber adapted to measure air travelling along underground tunnels. [44] As is shown in the figure, the air 115 enters the measurement chamber from the median side 115 and exits at the lateral side 106 and vice versa depending on the direction of air movement. [45] The apparatus 100 further comprises a computing device case 116 fastening to the anterior wall 103. The computing device case 116 is adapted to enclose and protect a computing device 200 as will be described in further detail below. In preferred embodiment, the computing device case 116 as substantially watertight and dustproof. [46] In a preferred embodiment, the computing device case 116 is adapted to define an anteriorly facing display device aperture 112 such that the display device of the computing device 200 is viewable by an operator. In a preferred embodiment, the display device of the computing device 200 is a touch sensitive display device, allowing for the operation of the computing device 200 by suitable touch gestures. [47] In other embodiments, the computing device case 116 may define other apertures also. Specifically, the computing device case may comprise an outwardly facing image capture device aperture 113. As would be described in further detail below, the computing device 200 may be 4 adapted to periodically capture image data, or continuous video data, for viewing by a remote computing device. [48] Furthermore, the computing device case 116 may comprise an outwardly facing motion sensor device aperture 114. [49] Yet further, the computing device case 116 may comprise a data cable aperture 116. As will be described in further detail below, in a preferred embodiment, the computing device 200 is adapted to interface with a power over Ethernet (PoE) interface so as to be able to receive power and send and receive data using a single connection. [50] Now, the apparatus 100 comprises at least one sensor. The at least one sensor is located at the anterior wall 110 and posteriorly orientated so as to sample the environment of the air passing through the median-lateral measuring chamber. In one embodiment, the anterior wall 110 may define apertures allowing the sensors and/or sensor connections to extend from the computing device 200 through the anterior wall 103 into the measurement chamber. Computing device [51] Turning now to Figure 2, there is shown the computing device 200. As alluded to above, the computing device 200 is adapted for location within the computing device case 116. [52] The computing device 200 is adapted for performing the computing functions described herein for the monitoring of an underground environment, including obtaining sensor data from the various sensors, logging the sensor data, allowing the retrieval of the sensor data, taking control actions and the like. These steps may be implemented as computer program code instructions executable by the computing device 200. The computer program code instructions may be divided into one or more computer program code instruction libraries, such as dynamic link libraries (DLL), wherein each of the libraries performs a one or more steps of the method. Additionally, a subset of the one or more of the libraries may perform graphical user interface tasks relating to the steps of the method. [53] The device 200 comprises semiconductor memory 210 comprising volatile memory such as random access memory (RAM) or read only memory (ROM). The memory 210 may comprise either RAM or ROM or a combination of RAM and ROM. [54] The device 200 comprises a computer program code storage medium reader 260 for reading the computer program code instructions from computer program code storage media to 65. The storage media 265 may be flash media such as USB or SD memory sticks. [55] The device further comprises 1/O interface 235 for communicating with one or more peripheral devices. The 1/O interface 235 may offer both serial and parallel interface connectivity. 5 For example, the 1/O interface 235 may comprise a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), Universal Serial Bus (USB) or similar 1/O interface for interfacing with the storage medium reader 260. The 1/O interface 235 may also communicate with one or more human input devices (HID) 255 such as keyboards, pointing devices, and the like. The 1/O interface 235 may also comprise a computer to computer interface, such as a Recommended Standard 232 (RS-232) interface, for interfacing the device 200 with one or more personal computer (PC) devices 250. The 1/O interface 235 may also comprise an audio interface for communicate audio signals to one or more audio devices 245. [56] The device 200 also comprises a network interface 240 for communicating with one or more computer networks 270. The network 270 may be a wired network, such as a wired EthernetTM network or a wireless network, such as a BluetoothTM network or IEEE 802.11 network. The network 280 may be a local area network (LAN), such as a home or office computer network, or a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet or private WAN. [57] The device 200 comprises an arithmetic logic unit or processor 220 for performing the computer program code instructions. The processor 220 may be a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) or complex instruction set computer (CISC) processor or the like. The device 200 further comprises a storage device 230, such as a magnetic disk hard drive or a solid state disk drive. [58] Computer program code instructions may be loaded into the storage device 230 from the storage media 265 using the storage medium reader 260 or from the network 270 using network interface 240. During the bootstrap phase, an operating system and one or more software applications are loaded from the storage device 230 into the memory 210. During the fetch-decode execute cycle, the processor 220 fetches computer program code instructions from memory 210, decodes the instructions into machine code, executes the instructions and stores one or more intermediate results in memory 210. [59] In this manner, the instructions stored in the memory 210, when retrieved and executed by the processor 220, may configure the computing device 200 as a special-purpose machine that may perform the functions described herein. [60] The device 200 also comprises a video interface 215 for conveying video signals to a display device 205, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), or similar display device. [61] The device 200 also comprises a communication bus subsystem 225 for interconnecting the various devices described above. The bus subsystem 225 may offer parallel connectivity such as Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), conventional Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) and the like or serial connectivity such as PCI Express (PCIe), Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (Serial ATA) and the like. 6 [62] Now, as alluded to above, the 1/O interface 235 may interface with one or more sensors 280. [63] The sensors 280 may comprise anemometer 281 adapted for measuring wind velocity. As alluded to above, the anemometer 281 is located within the measurement chamber so as to be adapted to measure wind velocity as air travels through the median/lateral measurement chamber of the apparatus 100. [64] There are a number of manners in which the wind velocity may be measured, including by mechanised wind velocity sensors. However, given the harsh underground environmental conditions and the potential for mechanical obstruction from dust particles and the like, the wind sensor 281 may be a hotwire anemometer. In other embodiments, other non-mechanised anemometers may be employed depending on the application. [65] In one embodiment, the apparatus 100 may be adapted for furthermore determining the direction of air travel, such as from median to lateral or lateral to median. In this embodiment, the apparatus 100 may comprise a direction sensor, or more than one anemometer 281, each adapted to determine wind velocity only in a particular direction. [66] Furthermore, the apparatus 100 may comprise temperature sensor 282 adapted to measure temperature. Furthermore, the apparatus 100 may comprise humidity sensor 283. In one embodiment, the apparatus computing device 200 may be adapted to calculate wetbulb and drybulb temperatures utilising sensor data obtained from the temperature sensor 282 and the humidity sensor 283. [67] In a further embodiment, the apparatus 100 may comprise gas sensor 284, adapted to detect the presence of one or more dangerous gases, such as asphyxiating gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and the like or volatile gases such as methane and the like. [68] In a further embodiment, the apparatus 100 may comprise image capture device 285 adapted to capture images. The image capture device 285 may be adapted to capture still images or video images. In this manner, the apparatus 100 may be adapted to record image or video data of the surroundings of the apparatus 100. [69] In one embodiment, the apparatus 100 comprises motion sensor 286 adapted to sense motion. The motion sensor 286 may comprise an infrared sensor to determine motion. In accordance with the data received from the motion sensor, the computing device 200 may take differing actions, such as capturing image data from the image capture device 285, so as to, for example, capture images of passers-by within the tunnel. [70] In a further embodiment, the apparatus 100 may comprise air quality or particle sensor 287 adapted to determine air quality, such as by detecting dust particles and the like. 7 [71] In one embodiment, the apparatus 100 comprises electromechanical relay contact 290 adapted for allowing the interfacing of various accessories to the apparatus 100. [72] In this manner, the computing device 200 may be adapted to control various peripheral systems. For example, in one embodiment, the peripheral systems may comprise a water sprinkler system. In this manner, when the particulate sensor 287 detects poor air quality, that is dust particles exceeding a certain threshold, the computing device 200 may be adapted to energise the relay contact 290 so as to activate the disbursing of water droplets from the sprinkler system to improve the air quality. [73] As alluded to above, in one embodiment, the computing device 200 is adapted to interface with PoE network. In this manner, the computing device 200 may be adapted to receive power and send and receive data across the Ethernet network. [74] It should be noted that in other embodiments, so as to avoid the requirement for the reticulation of data cables, the network interface 240 of the computing device 200 may be a wireless network interface 240, such as to, for example, allow for the communication across a Wi-Fi network. [75] In a further embodiment, so as to account for attenuation of wireless Wi-Fi signals especially in underground tunnels, each apparatus 100 may be configured as a Wi-Fi repeater. In this manner, a number of apparatuses 100 may be "daisy-chained" along the length of the tunnel, so as to allow for the data continuously to the extremes of the tunnel. [76] Now, during normal operation, the computing device 200 is adapted to receive sensor data from the sensors 280. [77] The computing device 200 may be adapted to store the sensor data in memory 210 or storage device 230 for later retrieval. [78] Furthermore, the computing device 200 may be adapted to transmit the sensor data across the network 270, either upon request, or at periodic intervals. [79] In one embodiment, the computing device 200 may be configured to implement a web server. In this manner, various remote computing devices may interface with the apparatus 100 using a standard web browser. [80] In this manner, using an appropriate URL, the remote computing device may request sensor data wherein the web server of the computing device 200 retrieve the sensor data, and compiles an HTTP page comprising the requested information, including in textual and graphical format for serving to the remote computing device. [81] Using the web interface, the computing device 200 may be further adapted to serve image and video data to allow an operator to view the surroundings of the apparatus 100 using the remote computing device. 8 [82] In embodiments, the computing device 200 is adapted to manage the storage of the sensor and image data within the memory 210 or storage device 230. In one embodiment, where the memory 210 or storage 230 reaches capacity, the computing device 200 may be adapted to erase the oldest data, or to transmit the data across the network 270. [83] In one embodiment, the computing device 200 may be further adapted to allow for the configuring of various operational control rules for implementation by the apparatus 100, such as the above-mentioned example where the apparatus 100 is adapted to operate the sprinkler system upon detecting poor air quality. [84] In one embodiment, the sensors 280 are selectively removable modular sensors 280 so as to allow for the configuration of the apparatus 100 in accordance with the desired sensing capabilities. In this manner, the posterior facing anterior wall 110 may comprise various sensor ports allowing for the docking of various sensors 280. [85] In a similar manner, the apparatus 100 may comprise various relay ports adapted for accommodating a configurable number of relay contacts 290. [86] In this embodiment, the computing device 200 may be adapted to auto detect the presence of the modular sensors 280 or configurable relay ports so as to interface appropriately. 9 Interpretation Wireless: [87] The invention may be embodied using devices conforming to other network standards and for other applications, including, for example other WLAN standards and other wireless standards. Applications that can be accommodated include IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs and links, and wireless Ethernet. [88] In the context of this document, the term "wireless" and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communications channels, etc., that may communicate data through the use of modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. The term does not imply that the associated devices do not contain any wires, although in some embodiments they might not. In the context of this document, the term "wired" and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communications channels, etc., that may communicate data through the use of modulated electromagnetic radiation through a solid medium. The term does not imply that the associated devices are coupled by electrically conductive wires. Processes: [89] Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the specification discussions utilizing terms such as "processing", "computing", "calculating", "determining", "analysing" or the like, refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulate and/or transform data represented as physical, such as electronic, quantities into other data similarly represented as physical quantities. Processor: [90] In a similar manner, the term "processor" may refer to any device or portion of a device that processes electronic data, e.g., from registers and/or memory to transform that electronic data into other electronic data that, e.g., may be stored in registers and/or memory. A "computer" or a "computing device" or a "computing machine" or a "computing platform" may include one or more processors. [91] The methodologies described herein are, in one embodiment, performable by one or more processors that accept computer-readable (also called machine-readable) code containing a set of instructions that when executed by one or more of the processors carry out at least one of the methods described herein. Any processor capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken are included. Thus, one example is a typical processing 10 system that includes one or more processors. The processing system further may include a memory subsystem including main RAM and/or a static RAM, and/or ROM. Computer-Readable Medium: [92] Furthermore, a computer-readable carrier medium may form, or be included in a computer program product. A computer program product can be stored on a computer usable carrier medium, the computer program product comprising a computer readable program means for causing a processor to perform a method as described herein. Networked or Multiple Processors: [93] In alternative embodiments, the one or more processors operate as a standalone device or may be connected, e.g., networked to other processor(s), in a networked deployment, the one or more processors may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer or distributed network environment. The one or more processors may form a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. [94] Note that while some diagram(s) only show(s) a single processor and a single memory that carries the computer-readable code, those in the art will understand that many of the components described above are included, but not explicitly shown or described in order not to obscure the inventive aspect. For example, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Additional Embodiments: [95] Thus, one embodiment of each of the methods described herein is in the form of a computer-readable carrier medium carrying a set of instructions, e.g., a computer program that are for execution on one or more processors. Thus, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, embodiments of the present invention may be embodied as a method, an apparatus such as a special purpose apparatus, an apparatus such as a data processing system, or a computer-readable carrier medium. The computer-readable carrier medium carries computer readable code including a set of instructions that when executed on one or more processors cause a processor or processors to implement a method. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a method, an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form 11 of carrier medium (e.g., a computer program product on a computer-readable storage medium) carrying computer-readable program code embodied in the medium. Carrier Medium: [96] The software may further be transmitted or received over a network via a network interface device. While the carrier medium is shown in an example embodiment to be a single medium, the term "carrier medium" should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term "carrier medium" shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by one or more of the processors and that cause the one or more processors to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present invention. A carrier medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Implementation: [97] It will be understood that the steps of methods discussed are performed in one embodiment by an appropriate processor (or processors) of a processing (i.e., computer) system executing instructions (computer-readable code) stored in storage. It will also be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular implementation or programming technique and that the invention may be implemented using any appropriate techniques for implementing the functionality described herein. The invention is not limited to any particular programming language or operating system. Means For Carrying out a Method or Function [98] Furthermore, some of the embodiments are described herein as a method or combination of elements of a method that can be implemented by a processor of a processor device, computer system, or by other means of carrying out the function. Thus, a processor with the necessary instructions for carrying out such a method or element of a method forms a means for carrying out the method or element of a method. Furthermore, an element described herein of an apparatus embodiment is an example of a means for carrying out the function performed by the element for the purpose of carrying out the invention. Connected [99] Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term connected, when used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being limitative to direct connections only. Thus, the scope of the expression a device A connected to a device B should not be limited to devices or systems wherein an output of device A is directly connected to an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between an output of 12 A and an input of B which may be a path including other devices or means. "Connected" may mean that two or more elements are either in direct physical or electrical contact, or that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. Embodiments: [100] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but may. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments. [101] Similarly it should be appreciated that in the above description of example embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention. [102] Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form different embodiments, as would be understood by those in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination. Different Instances of Objects [103] As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives "first", "second", "third", etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner. 13 Specific Details [104] In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description. Terminology [105] In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose. Terms such as "forward", "rearward", "radially", "peripherally", "upwardly", "downwardly", and the like are used as words of convenience to provide reference points and are not to be construed as limiting terms. Comprising and Including [106] In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" are used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention. [107] Any one of the terms: including or which includes or that includes as used herein is also an open term that also means including at least the elements/features that follow the term, but not excluding others. Thus, including is synonymous with and means comprising. Scope of Invention [108] Thus, while there has been described what are believed to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the invention. For example, any formulas given above are merely representative of procedures that may be used. Functionality may be added or deleted from the block diagrams and operations may be interchanged among functional blocks. Steps may be added or deleted to methods described within the scope of the present invention. [109] Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms. 14

Claims (17)

1. Apparatus for underground environmental monitoring, the apparatus comprising: opposing posterior and anterior walls; and opposing superior and inferior walls connecting the opposing posterior and anterior walls, the walls adapted to define a median-lateral orientated measurement chamber.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the posterior and anterior walls are substantially rectangular

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the anterior wall has dimensions less than that of the posterior wall

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a computing device case fastened to the anterior wall.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the computing device case comprises an anteriorly facing display device aperture.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the computing device case comprises an outwardly facing image capture device aperture.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the computing device case comprises an outwardly facing motion sensor device aperture.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the computing device case comprises a data cable aperture.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the computing device located within the computing device case.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor, the at least one sensor being located at the anterior wall and posteriorly orientated.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of a wind sensor, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, gas sensor, motion sensor and particle sensor

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor is a modular sensor adapted for user selected removable interfacing.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one digital input or output.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the computing device is adapted to control the at least one digital input or output in accordance with sensor data.

15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the sensor data represents a particulate measurement.

16. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the computing device is adapted to host a web server. 15

17. Apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the web server is adapted to serve a resource comprising sensor data. 16